Railway-switch



(No Model.)

H. C. DBRR.y

RAILWAY SWITCH.

N0. 564,916. Patented July 28, 1896.

fue norms mns co, rncrouma., wAsMmG-rou o c UNITED .Y STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

HEISTER C. DERR, OF NESCOPEOK, PENNSYLVANIA, AASSIGNOR OF ONE- I-IALF TO BOYD R. YETTER, OF MAINVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAI LWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 564,916, dated July 28, 1896. Application filed September 6, 1895. Serial No. 561,664. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, HEISTER C. DERR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nescopeck, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a railway-track, showing my improved mechanism; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section through the channeled shoe or block; Fig. 3, a transverse section through the same 5 Figs. 4 and 5, detail vertical sections through the switch-stand devices; Fig. 6, a detail view in outline of a locomotive, showing more particularly the manner of shifting the operating-bar carried by the locomotive; and Fig. '7, a detail plan view of the operating-bar and the connected parts.

This invention is designed to provide improved and extremely simple devices whereby the operator may open the switch automatically from the cab of the locomotive as the same approaches the switch, or by manual power through the medium of the usual switch-stand alongside the track, the devices being adapted to lock the switch-rails in either position, as and for the purposes herein set forth.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 is the shoe, which is securely fastened down to the ties a suitable distance ahead of the switch-rails, and which is channeled longitudinally at 2, the forward end of the channel being suitably iiared to facilitate the entrance of the operating-bar carried by the locomotive. channel is an angle-lever 3, whose longer arm works in horizontal slots 4 in the sides of the shoe'and extends (when the switch is closed) across the channel L. The shorter arm of this angle-lever is connected by a rod 5 to another angle-lever 6, pivoted to one of the ties near the forward ends of the switch-rails, the opposite arm of this latter angle-lever being connected by a link 7 to the bar 8, carrying the switch-rails. By this arrangement of levers and rods it will be seen that by throwing the free arm of the angle-lever 3 backward or for- Pivoted on the shoe at one side of theward the switch-rails may be closed or opened as may be desired. The operating bar or tappet 9 is carried by the locomotive, preferably on the under side of the cow-catcher. The tappet is pivoted on a rod 10, whereby it may be turned down or up at the will of the engineer in the locomotive-cab, suitable links and levers being connected to the upper end of the tappet and being within convenient reach of the engineer.

It will be observed that when'the tappet is turned down, as shown in Fig. 6, it will pass into the widened mouth of the channel and strike against the transverse arm of the angle-lever 3 and open the switch.

As is evident, the same devices may be duplicated and placed betweenthe rails of the siding, so that after a train has passed onto a siding the switch-rails may be automatically closed again without stopping the train. The mouth of the shoe is kept normally closed by means of a plate 11, which is pivoted at its rear end at the widened part of the channel and which inclines upwardly and forwardly and terminates just in the rear of the free arm of the angle-lever 3, said plate being kept normally pressed upward against flanges 12, carried by the shoe, by means of a strong spring 13, surroundingy its pivot 14. The object of this spring-actuated guard is not only to prevent the accummulation of obstructive substances in the mouth of the channel, but also to prevent any chains or other parts that may be dangling from passing trains striking the angle-lever and operating the switchrails. The spring 13 will of course be sufficiently strong to prevent any ordinary pressure upon the guard from depressing it, but will not be so strong as to prevent the operating-tappeti from readily depressing it as the train passes along.

To provide for shifting the switch-rails from the switch-stand in the usual manner and to insure the locking of the switch-rails, whether they be open or closed, the switchstand devices are constructed in a peculiar manner.l One end of the bar 8 is connected by means of a rod 15 to a horizontal arm carried by the lower part 16 of atwo-part clutch carried by the vertical shaft 17 of the switchstand. The part 16 of the clutch is mounted IOO loosely on the shaft `17, so as, to turn thereon, but the upper part 18 ofthe clutch is secured on the shaft by means of a spline and feather, or any other suitable Way, whereby it shall rotate with the shaft, but may slide endwise independently of the same. The adjacent ends of the clutch-sections are provided with interlocking teeth, which are'inclined equally in opposite directions, and the upper sliding part of the clutch is kept normally pressed against the lower part by means of a strong coil-spring 19. The shaft 17 of the switchstand is operated in the, usual manner by means of a lever 20, which is adapted to engage in notches 2l, formed in the head of the switch-stand and be thereby locked in position: .against rotation.

It* will be observed thatl the sWitch-rails maybefshifted bylifting the lever out of the notches: and rotating *it* in l either direction, the. springlQ--being strong enough to-prevent thev parts of the clutch separating. under thel comparatively slight exertion. required toshift the railsthrough the medium :of the' switchstandxdevices. It will beobserved, however, that when the rails are shifted fronrth'e-locomotive, the: peculiar .shape of the clutcheteeth will :permitthe lower part of the clutchv to be turned 'sufficiently inl *either direction to per,- mit lthe rails to mover the `required distance,

the upper part of the clutch yielding upwardlyl as 4the lower part rotates. Thus it wil-l be seen-thatthe-railswill always be locked and that theymay be shifted .manuall'yfrom `the switch-stand or automatically from the locomotive,notwithstandingthe fact that they are locked` .in placeI by the switch-stand devices.

As -isevident, an operating-tappet may-bel mounted. .on the Caboose,` if desiredT in order side track and switch-rails, of a shoe channeled longitudinally, a guard-plate supported in the mouth of said channel and normally pressed up to close thesame, devices for shift ing the switch-rails, and a .movable part Ifin the channel behind the guardeplate and connected to said shifting devices, substantially as described.

3. In combination witlr-.a' main" traekand side track f and swi tollera-ils," .off a --channeledshoel havingfa anged mouthzat its forward end, a guard-plate pivoted in the lower'end of said mouth and incl'in-ingiupwardlythere in and bearing against' said flanged-a'` springA normally pres-sing said guardfp-late vup 1 to:y

close the mouth, and devices for f shifting .theV switch-rails, apart ofi said dericesberng-l cated in the channel behind theguardf-cplate, substantially as described.;

In testimony'whereofV I aixrm'y signature in presence of two witnesses.

HEISTEHC. DEER.. IVitnesses :v

CHARLES C. EvANs, A; M. HUGHES. 

